Survey of Reissues of U.S. Recordings

A report commissioned by the National Recording Preservation Board entitled Survey of Reissues of U.S. Recordings makes some interesting points regarding the history of recording: “Although other copyrighted works routinely enter the public domain, there are virtually no public domain US sound recordings,” including recordings made in the 1890s—due to a decision that effectively gives pre-1972 recordings protection until 2067.

One of the basic assumptions made in the study is not a commonly realised point of view amongst rights holders: “ …distribution of created works plays a crucial role in the preservation of those works, for one of the most reliable guarantees of preservation is the widespread dissemination of copies to interested individuals and archives.”

(A pdf version is available at the Council on Library and Information Resources site.)